Eagles Of Death Metal declare 'Paris we love you' as band joins U2 on stage

Eagles Of Death Metal declare 'Paris we love you' as band joins U2 on stage

Independent.ie

Eagles Of Death Metal proclaimed "Paris we love you" as they performed in the French capital alongside U2, less than a month after their last concert was cut short by a terrorist attack in which 89 people died.

Eagles Of Death Metal proclaimed "Paris we love you" as they performed in the French capital alongside U2, less than a month after their last concert was cut short by a terrorist attack in which 89 people died.

The California rockers were invited to the stage for an emotional encore by the Irish band during their second night of rescheduled gigs in Paris.

Bono called them brothers before giving them the floor in a packed and bouncing AccorHotels Arena, just weeks after the terror attacks in which a total of 130 people were killed.

"They were robbed of their stage three weeks ago - we would like to offer them ours tonight," he said.

Eagles Of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes took the mic dressed in a white suit and vowed: "Paris we love you and we will never give up rock and roll."

After the gig the band thanked U2 saying they had "reminded us that the bad guys never take a day off, and therefore we rock 'n rollers cannot either ... and we never will".

In a post on their Facebook page they paid tribute to "everyone in the world who continues to prove that love, joy, and music will always overcome terror and evil", and said they will return to the French capital for their tour next year.

Earlier, U2 added a poignant mark of respect to the victims of the terror attacks with a huge display of the French tricolour and the names of those who died.

The performance took place on the banks of the Seine, near the 11th arrondissement where terrorists targeted the Bataclan theatre as the Eagles Of Death Metal played before pubs, cafes and restaurants were turned into bloodbaths.

It was the second show in a two-night run on the acclaimed Innocence + Experience Tour after the Irish stars rescheduled concerts which were originally due to be held in the days after the attacks.

Bono had vowed it would be their best.

Opening the show he said: "We're in Paris - feels like the whole world is in Paris. We are all Parisiennes tonight.

"If you believe in liberte, Paris is your home town.

"Thank you for welcoming us back and allowing us to come here and tell our story and allowing us to tell you a little something about our lives when your lives have been turned upside down."

The singer also penned a new song - Streets of Surrender (SOS) - in the wake of the attacks.

One of the few acts to defy security concerns to play in Paris in the wake of the atrocities was veteran Northern Ireland punk bank Stiff Little Fingers, formed in 1977 at the height of the Troubles.

The U2 concert was filmed live and will be shown on HBO.

The band teed up the anticipated performance by asking fans to post questions to them on social media which were answered before the show.

In a video interview with Vice News last week, Hughes said he ''cannot wait'' to get back to Paris.

He said: ''I want to be the first band to play in the Bataclan when it opens back up, because I was there when it went silent for a minute.''

Co-founder Josh Homme said: ''We don't really have a choice. We have to finish the tour."